Inspected the bearings in my lq trailer this weekend and saw some discoloration on the the bearing seat(the part that mounts on the spindle). Some bearing seats had heat marks almost all the way around others only had a spot. The rollers and races looked fine. What would cause this? They were the original bearings that came in the axles (China's fiinest). I replaced them just in case and it will give me a complete set of spares to tote with me in case of a problem. These were 8000 # dexters with electric hydrualic disc brakes. I guess they probably had 2 years running and maybe 15K miles+-. Do you replace the races when you change out bearings?
Posted 2010-05-23 2:16 PM (#120482 - in reply to #120479) Subject: RE: Trailer Bearings???
Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
Yes you should, and use the same supplier of the races as your bearings. Since they too have been overheated, they can have warped, and the heat treating and proper hardness, probably has been compromised. Using old races can damage new bearings.
You should properly torque the nuts which will seat the new bearings and races. Then recheck them after about 1K, again for the proper torque. After that, just do your normal maintenance checks and repacking.